The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1887-05-31
not ~ ERROR.
Congressman Grain Replies Ia Il COM
ment Of the Bec on Ills Letter
Quotes the Constitution In De
Tense ofNis Position

"Congrcssman rain is opposed to
prohibition and Cr,- in saying that 1t
would not be advisable at This time to
cut of the revenue. Of the state de-
rived from the Liquor licenses, and to
the extent Of the elimination thereby
occasiOncd, to increase the tax upon
other objects next year Uuless All
extra session of the legislature is call
ed, prohibition would not be put in.
to effect before ~. An extra -sssion
will hardly be called, If prohibition
carries, for, under the financial en-
bsrrassmcnt the industries of the
state are laboring At present, it would
not be cXpcdicnt.
If the Bee means that the prohibit
tory amendment, if adopted, will not
become a part Of the organic law until
the legislature gives IL practical effect,
il, Itscif, is III error; for the 18th atti-
Gle of the state constitution, styled
"Articlo NNll Mode of Amending
the Constitution of this state cx.
prcssly declares that. after an election
has been held to determine whether
an amendment rhull bc cngrgttcd
upon the constitution, the election re-
turns hall be made to the secretary
OF state; "and, if it shall appear FROM
said returns that minority OF the
votes cast have been cast ia fal or OF
any amendment, tn" aid Amendment
so receiving Il majority OF the votes
cast shall become purt Of this con
slitution, and proclamation shall be
made BY the governor thereof As
soon, therefore. NJ the returns are
made To the secretary OF state and
show that majority Of the vote have
been cast i'm favor of an amendment
ii thcreupOn become "a part OF the
constitution
II, then, the majority vote for TIE
prOhibltory amendment, just a. soon
as the returns show that tNct. aid
amendment will be part OF the or
ganic law of Texas md, even II IT be
held that the Pre- c.amatiop OF the
governor will DO ncccs-arV TO put 1t
into elect, tina; officer Is required TO
issue his proclamation ut once on.
nouncing that the amendment has
been adopted.
Consequently. the Bee Is again in
error when il says that there would
he no reduction of the revenue unil
1883 unless there should be - spccial
session. The Immediate effect of the
adoption OF the amendment viii be to
repeal the cons itutionul provision in
regard to local option, and All laws
eilccIing aud regulating the sales of
liquors SO that liquor will be- sold
every where in the state without the
payment of any License or occupation
taN aud without regard for the adOp-
ton OF local option. Prosecutions
will smout 10 nothing because there
will be no laws TO sustain Thorn.
Collections of taxes tor selling liquors
VIII cease because there VIII be no
laws to authorize such collections.
How can IA tax collector make citi-
zen pay M occupation tax for retailing
liquors without a law authorizing Its
collection? The moment the cOnsti-
tuition prohibits the sale of liquor,
that moment the state is stopped from
authorizing its sale by collecting II
license therefor,
What results VIII follow;
!. An Immediate diminution OF rev.
ouuc q believe the liquor taxes are
collected on the LIST of October In
each year. and au immense increase
in the liquor traffic in tho state, thus
painted by the most onthusias Tic al =
vocato OF prohibition
- The convention oil the lcgisla>
turG in extra session 10 enact law 5
providing tor the punishment OF those
who violate the provisions of the
amendment, and to provide for the
deficit occasioncd by its adoption
and this can only be done by incrcas-
ing to the constitutional limit the ratio
OF taxation upon articles alrcad
taxed, or by charging the number of
articles subject to taxation. The de~
iicit, too, viii be increased to the eN-
tent OF tho expense of the special SOS.
sion of the legislature while il Is
wrestling with these two problems.
"lh9 financial embarrassment" to
use the language of the Bee, under
which the "indus,rics of the state are
labOring," is the very reason why an
extra session Will be ncccs Sary. ifp pros
hibition carries; for If "thc financial
embarrassment is rs great a. the Bee
represents lt-and II does not 90 too
tar in this Will be still moro seri.
Gus, ii the amendment shall be adopt
ed, because of the deficit occasioned
W NultluS pli tlAS itANhhS hNilNtN
from the sale of liquors.
My Only error, therefore, consisted
in not predicting that the taxes of the
people would be Increased next fall
instead ofneXt year, Are the people
of Texas prepared TO add to the eye
clones, droughts, Hoods, ovcrilows,
crop failures, low cattle markets from
which they have been suffering, phe
additional calamity of increased tax
alton?
This will perhaps be boon to the
people OF certain portions of the state
who have been on the verge of star
walton aud who have appealed to the
charity of the world, to congress aud
TO the Texas legislature forsSsistancc,
w, II. GRAIN
THE ZEE ACLNoWLEDGEs.
The above letter called forth the
following brief and manly comment
from the editor of the Bee